By Laura Ly and Jason Hanna, CNN
(CNN) — Brian Tarantina, an actor who recently played the role of Jackie in Amazon’s series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” has died in New York at age 60, his manager told CNN.
Tarantina was found in his midtown Manhattan apartment after a relative called 911 on Saturday to report he was unconscious, and medics pronounced him dead at the scene, the New York Police Department said.
A medical examiner will determine the cause of death, the department said.
Tarantina had been “quite ill recently” and was recuperating at home, said his manager, Laurie Smith.
“I have known him for years. He was an amazing, very, very talented actor and very sweet person,” Smith said. “I was really shocked and very sad. I’m still shocked.”
Tarantina was with the “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” cast in January when it picked up a Screen Actors Guild award for top performance by an ensemble in a comedy series. His character was an emcee at a comedy club where Midge Maisel performed.
He appeared in this year’s crime drama “The Kitchen” starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss.
His movie credits include “Summer of Sam” and “Uncle Buck.” On TV’s “Gilmore Girls,” he had a recurring role as Bootsy, owner of the Stars Hollow news stand and nemesis of Luke Danes. He also played two parts on the soap opera “One Life to Live,” Lucky Lippman in the early 1990s and Ray Castillo starting in 2004.
The-CNN-Wire
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